A group of Round Rock Independent School District parents, caregivers, and educators are pushing for less overall screen usage by children in the classroom.
The group is part of a local chapter of “Schools Beyond Screens,” a nationwide organization advocating for “classroom technology that is student-centered rather than corporate-sponsored.”
“We are calling for districts to review existing tech products and policies, block harmful and non-educational distractions, require independent standards for efficacy, create real opt-out pathways, and involve parents, teachers, and students in setting the rules,” Schools Beyond Screens’ website reads. “We support technology that is intentional, limited, transparent, and genuinely useful—not technology adopted by default.”
KXAN reports that local parents are organizing around the group, citing concerns over their children’s usage of laptops and Chromebooks during school.
The local Round Rock ISD chapter wants to collaborate with the district to help create an “updated technology policy” based on the Schools Beyond Screens Model Tech Policy, Distraction-Free Schools’ Model Digital Product Policy, and policies adopted by other school districts.
Policy requests include eliminating devices for students in prekindergarten through second grade, ending one-to-one devices for students in third through fifth grades, and establishing daily and weekly screen time limits for students in grades 3-12.
Texas school districts that have already adopted similar policies include those in Richardson, Southlake, Katy, Hutto, and Flower Mound and mostly focus on limiting students’ screen time usage during the school day.
Texas Scorecard previously reported that the Lockhart ISD Board of Trustees voted in favor of an initiative to reduce elementary students’ screen time by 50 percent and increase recess and hands-on learning.
Screen use for secondary grades will also be limited to no more than half of each class period.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced in August his plan to “limit the use of laptops, tablets, and other 1-to-1 devices in classrooms,” specifically for younger students.
Abbott said the plan “will put greater emphasis on physical materials, handwriting, and direct teacher instruction,” stressing that “technology should be used intentionally for specific lessons, individualized learning plans, assessments, and required accommodations, not as a substitute for teachers or proven methods of learning.”
During an August 20 Round Rock ISD board meeting, a presentation was given to trustees on “educational technology and classroom screen time” along with proposed guidelines.
Members of the Round Rock “Schools Beyond Screens” chapter argue that these proposed guidelines do not go far enough.
The group has started a petition laying out their requests.
